Worlds Apart
by Smashing Successor
Summary: There's a strange boy in the Kingdom of Askr that looks achingly familiar to Nino. In the end, family is still family.


It starts off as a little invisible tug on the hem of Nino's sleeve.

One moment, she's chatting with Merlinus, asking the nervous merchant just where to put down the new shipment of vulneraries as he putters about excitedly while Jaffar watches silently in a dark corner. The next moment, the invisible tug turns into a rather forceful pull followed by a resounding _**bang!**_ and a flash of white light.

With a surprised yelp, Nino goes tumbling backward, head over heels, but instead of hitting ground, she simply continues to tumble. Suddenly, her surroundings blur and spin into a terrifying kaleidoscope of colors that barely make sense to her fear-addled mind. The lights get impossibly bright, to the point of blinding. There's another popping sound; then, a very, very uncomfortable squeezing feeling, followed by a rather ungraceful fall onto cold, stone ground.

"Oof!" She grimaces in pain, having landed right on top of the chain of her tome. Oh gosh, that's going to be so blue and purple tomorrow morning, ow ow ow. The terrifying rainbow of colors is gone, thankfully, but the afterimage still burns in the back of her eyes, and a small groan escapes her lips. Who would've thought colors could actually, physically hurt?

"Whoa, now that was a landing if I ever saw one! You alright? You're lookin' kinda green."

"And rather young. Kiran, are you sure you summoned the correct hero?"

And addition to the colors hurting her eyes, the voices in her head hurt too. That's swell, real swell.

…Oh wait, no, those are actual, real voices!

Nino warily cracks an eye open. The first thing she sees is a pretty, blonde-haired girl with an odd braid standing over her, a concerned look in blue eyes and her hand outstretched. "Hey, you doing okay? You took quite a tumble there. Don't worry. Kiran says it's normal to feel a little queasy after being forcefully summoned through a multiverse or five."

Nino blinks blearily, dumbfounded, in response. Because, really, how on Elibe is she supposed to respond to that? She can understand that words are being said and the meaning of the individual words, but whatever the pretty girl said combined into one sentence makes about zero sense to Nino.

Still blinking away the spots, she tries to take in her surroundings instead. It's some sort of stone hall, with a celing that goes startlingly high. A set of ornate pillars hold it aloft, casting grand shadows in the torchlight. Next to the pretty girl is a boy with blue hair and similar eyes, though instead of cheerful, his are drawn forward in an almost scowl that furthers the earnestness of his face. A little to his right is a man, older from the looks of it, wearing a white robe of sorts with the hood drawn up, expression unreadable. Beside him is another man, this one dressed in a rather odd vest with the right sleeve missing and an intricate marking on his visible bicep. And somewhere, hiding in the pillars, she can make out a mop of bright green hair, and a boy with a rather sullen, vaguely familiar, expression on his face.

All this further cements her confusion. Where is she? Who are these people? What's a summoner? These questions and more flash through her mind but before she can open her mouth to ask anything, she notices one very disconcerting fact.

She is heavily surrounded and outnumbered. And every one of these strangers is armed.

The sight of the weapons slams the reality of the situation into her with the force of a cavalry charge, and she fumbles backward in a panicked scramble.

"S-s-stay back!" Her voice comes out much shakier than she'd like. "W-whoever you people are- I-I-I know magic!" Reflexively, her hand curls around her waist and thank the Saint that her tome is still there. It's only a beginner's cantrip, a measly book of Fire, but maybe if she covers the front, she can bluff them into thinking it's an Elfire.

Confusion crosses the pretty girl's features before realization dawns. "Oh! Oh no, no, no, this isn't how it looks! We're not here to hurt you! Guys, drop the weapons!" She hisses before turning back to Nino and discarding her lance. "See? Nothing to worry about!"

Seeing everyone put away their weapons, with varying degrees of reluctance and compliance, settles some of Nino's nerves. Still, she keeps her Fire tome clutched protectively over her chest, one hand outstretched, just in case. "Who are you?" she asks again. What had Uncle Legault taught her about being in situations like these? Keep calm, right, stay calm and-and ask questions to get them to talk and take the focus off you. Right. "Who are you people? Where am I? …And w-where's Jaffar?"

"Who are we?" The pretty girl straightens up and as if to reassure her, strikes a very odd pose.

"Why, we're the Askr Order of Heroes, at your service! You can think of us as the good guys of the story. We're the general do-gooders, well-wishers and all-around saviors of the known multiverse!"

Calling yourselves the good guys sounds awfully a lot like something the bad guys would say to trick the good guys, is all Nino can think of the utterly strange introduction. Yet, the pretty girl looks so silly with one eye closed and her thumb sticking out and up that she feels some the knots in her chest loosen. No bad guy would try so hard to look so silly. The Four Fangs, for one, wouldn't be caught dead making such a pose. Though Jaffar could probably be convinced, if Nino asked nicely. Maybe.

Next to the girl, the blue haired man (actually, more of a teenager than a man) with the serious expression clears his throat. "You'll have to forgive my sister for the theatrics (the pretty girl drops her pose, huffs "rude!" beneath her breath) but what she says is accurate for the most part. We are the Order of Heroes, a faction of the Askr Kingdom who are tasked with summoning heroes from across time and space to fight against the threat of the Emblian Empire."

Nino blinks once. "Oh." She blinks again and- nope, still doesn't make a lick of sense to her. "I think I liked the first explanation better."

The blue haired boy visibly deflates while the pretty girl puffs out her chest. "Really? I thought I was fairly succinct."

"Said no one ever," retorts the sister, which earns her a dry look from her brother. "Listen, the nitty-gritty of it is that we're the good guys, you're a hero. Good guys need heroes to take down evil Emblian minions, so good guys summon you, a bona fide hero, and bam! That's where we are now."

That's a little easier to swallow, if no less strange. However, something she said makes no sense to Nino. "Wait, wait. Hero? As in…me?" She points to herself. "A hero?"

"Well of course you! Who else?"

Now Nino thinks there's definitely been some sort of mistake or misunderstanding. "I'm, er…" Nino scratches her head. "I don't think I'm really the person you're looking for? I mean, why…me? If you wanted heroes, then my brothers could've definitely been the type, or father, or even Uncle Legault."

The other blue haired man, the one with the missing sleeve (absently, she wonders if he's cold without the sleeve) finally steps forward, his brows furrowed. "Pardon the interruption, but are you not the Sage Nino of Elibean legend? The Sage Nino?"

"I-I don't think so?" She gulps when the man frowns and steps forward, right in her personal bubble. "I mean… I'm Nino, a member of the Black Fang," she says, then hesitantly adds, "well, actually, I guess these days, I'm just a regular ol' mage."

The blue-haired man's frown deepens, though it seems to be more out of bewilderment than frustration. "But that doesn't make any sense…All those tales of old." He runs a hand through his hair, nonplussed at the confused looks thrown his way. "Tell me, does the title "Pious Sage" ring any bells?"

"Um...sorry, nothing comes to mind."

"How about, Archmage of Anima?"

"Nope."

"Nergal's Scourge, Morph's Bane, Angel of Hope?"

"Can't say I've done any of those things."

The hooded stranger, who had been quiet up to this point, staring intently at a scroll in his hand, suddenly speaks up. "Time and space, Chrom. Sharena said it herself. The Sage of in your tales may have done all those things, but the one before us hasn't. Not yet at least."

The man's expression goes from earnestly confused to earnestly disappointed so quickly that Nino can't help but feel sorry for him. "I'm sorry I'm not any of those things." Hesitantly, she pats him on his sleeved arm. If it's any consolation, they sounded really cool though."

His eyes widen, and he hastily shakes his head before actually bowing to her. "No, no the fault was mine alone, sage! I was too eager in my haste and failed to think of the consequences when I told our summoner of your prowess. Please, accept my most humble apologies!"

"O-oh, no that isn't… um… please lift your head. I-I don't think it's healthy for your back if you bend that far forward!"

The sullen boy, still partially hidden in the shadow of the pillars, lets out a derisive snort, but otherwise, keeps his eyes fixed on his book. Sharena's brother lets out a sigh.

"What a gaffe," he says, watching as Nino tries to lift Chrom's head. "The Commander is going to have our hides for this."

His sister shrugs. "Well, what can you expect? Sometimes you draw the jackpot, other times...well." She shrugs again. "That's Lady Luck for ya."

"If only Lady Luck was as understanding as the Commander," the boy remarks wryly before sighing again. "I'll go tell her the news. In the meantime, do you mind…?"

"I gotcha." At her understanding nod, he walks off, and she steps in between Nino and Chrom, the latter of which is still bent at an impossible angle at the waist. "Okay, okay, that's enough of that. Chin up, Chrom, it's not your fault," she chuffs him on the arm before turning to her, "and… Nino, right? Sorry for all the confusion. Let's get you back home."

She's still trying to lift the lord's head, unsuccessfully trying to pull on the back of his neck with her measly weight, when the pretty girl's words register in her mind. As a result, she nearly trips and barely catches herself in time. "Wait, what?" She straightens up, trying to parse what she just heard. "You're… you're sending me back home?"

"That's right," the pretty girl nods, missing the bemused expression from Nino. "So if you'll just step back into the circle, Kiran can work his magic and then-"

"Why?"

The pretty girl stops, thrown off her stride. "Er…why do we have to put you in the circle?" She pauses, rubbing her chin speculatively, eyeing the ring up and down. "Yeah, I gotta admit, it's got a little demonic ritual sort of vibe, but I assure you, nobody was sacrificed or merged or inherited for the sake of the dark arts. Promise."

Well, that sounds vaguely suspicious in a sort of hush-hush cover-up kind of way but- Nino shakes her head. "No, I mean, you can send me back?"

"Well of course," the hooded man speaks up. "Why couldn't we?"

"I just... sort of thought that summoning was a… binding contract kinda thing. Like how we did it in the Fang." From what Nino heard from her brothers after Mo-Sonia took over the Fang, anybody who was a Fang or wanted to join the Fang was a member for life. People who didn't want to usually got paid a visit from either Jerme or Jaffar and never heard from again. Thankfully, the former was dead, and Jaffar had turned over a new leaf and assured her that he would never go down that path ever again.

"It's nothing morbid like that," the hooded man (Kiran, right?) says, tucking away the scroll into his robes. The pretty girl nods emphatically. "Every hero we summon, we offer them the choice to either fight with us or return home to their world."

"Right!" She jumps in, visibly vibrating with passion. "You're free to choose what you want, and if you don't want to fight, then we won't force you. It's your choice!" Her face shifts into a scowl and the tone of her voice becomes surprisingly harsh, contrasting with her earlier glib attitude. "That's what makes me so-so-mad at Veronica! She just takes heroes and binds them to her without a thought otherwise! They're practically her slaves!"

 _Who are we to pass judgment on the hand that commands us?_

 _The law of the Fang is absolute. Have you forgotten that, girl?_

Nino gulps, trying to right herself. "That's...that's terrible."

"Isn't it? Heroes are people too, dang it! They're not just some toys she can play around with and discard when she gets bored."

 _She is trash. Garbage. Human refuse. I'm just happy to at last to have found a use for her._

 _She did say she would do anything to please her loving mother, did she not?_

 _Her death will please me more than her living ever did._

"Uh, hello? You alright? You suddenly went quiet."

The inquisitive question brings her back into the present, and before she realizes it, Nino blurts out, "I want to join the Order of Heroes!"

The hooded man, who had been muttering quietly to himself, jumps at the sudden injection. "Er… pardon?"

"I-I want to join the Order of Heroes!" When Kiran and the girl exchanged bewildered looks, she adds, "I-I mean, I'm not useless! I can fight if that's what you're wondering. I know some magic, and I can use any anima magic as strong as Elfire. And-and Merlinus says I'm really good at organizing things so if you have supplies that need shelving and labeling or-or…"

There's a sarcastic snort from the sullen boy and Nino's steam quickly peters out. "I mean- I can…" She swallows thickly, before hanging her head. "I just… I just wanna help."

Kiran glances helplessly at the pretty girl, who just shrugs in response. "Well, ooookay," he says slowly, uncertainty lacing his tone. "That's great and all but… why? We summoned you at the wrong time, so you don't have to fight. You literally have no stake in this war."

"I- I know. I know that." She agrees. Honestly, she should just be relieved at being able to go back home after being so abruptly dragged to a foreign land that she knows nothing about. That's what any sane person would feel. But…

"If I'm being honest, all this talk of heroes and kingdoms and summoning is way beyond me. There's just...so much about this place that I don't know. But one thing I do know…" She pauses to take a breath, silencing the memories in her head.

"I know how it feels like to be treated like your less than nothing, to have your choices made for you. I know- I know how lonely it can get and how much it hurts."

Silence. Even the sullen boy seems to be a bit contrite judging by how he hasn't turned a page for over an entire minute.

Even after so long, it still hurts her, knowing that her family is gone, both her adopted Fang family and her real one, done in by the cruel whims of a power hungry tyrant and his willing morphs. It still hurts Nino, how little she mattered to the monster she called mother.

But then Nino lifts her head and beams.

"And I also know how important it is to know that you're never really alone. That you've got friends and family, who love you and will be there for you, no matter what. I know how important it is to believe in yourself and in the people who believe in you."

She takes another deep breath. "So if you want to send me back home, then I understand. But if you'll give me a chance, then I want to help! You said I was a hero in your time, right? I may not be a hero now, but I can learn, just you watch!"

With that declaration, the hall falls silent, save for the sound of her heavy breathing. The sound of clapping hands breaks it; the one-sleeved man steps forward, a sharp look of approval written over his face.

"Well said, Sage Nino, well said. Spoken like a true hero!"

Nino decides right there that she likes this Chrom person, despite his odd fashion sense and misconception of present-but-not-yet-future-her. "Oh, um t-thanks." She rubs her nose and grins a bit sheepishly. "I was just saying what I thought, but do you really think so?"

"Absolutely. You have the bravery and heart of a Shepherd, that is for sure. I cannot speak for the others, but you have my vote of confidence."

"Well, when you put it like that," the pretty girl drawls before grinning. "I'm up for it. Kiran?"

"I don't care either way," says the hooded man, already looking through another scroll. Offhandedly, he remarks, "but someone still has to tell the Commander about the orbs."

"Oh, it'll be fine," reassures the pretty girl. "The Commander's a softie. I'm sure she'll let it slide."

"Uh huh. And Feh is actually a giant dragon disguised as an owl. Have you met any of Anna's sisters?"

"Oh shush you." With that, she turns back to Nino, beaming grin still in place, and sticks out her hand. "Now that's settled… welcome to the Order of Heroes!"

The smile is infectious, and Nino finds herself returning it as she shakes the girl's much larger hand. "Thanks, Ms. Sharena!"

"Just call me Sharena, and we're good. And in case you didn't catch our names earlier," she points to the other two. "Mr. Mysterious over there is Kiran, our resident summoner and the man over there with the shoulders of an adonis is called Chrom."

The tip of said adonis's nose turns pink, and he coughs suddenly into his hand. "Oh, um, w-well, that's very kind of you, but I'm married."

She winks playfully back at him and chuffs him on the shoulder. "Just saying it like it is. Don't let it get to your head. And Nino, welcome aboard! Don't be a stranger; we're all family here."

Counting her real family, her adopted Black Fang, and her inclusion into Eliwood's roving army, Nino's family is starting to look bigger than she could ever have imagined. A warm feeling bubbles in her chest and she nods excitedly. "I'm glad to be here!"

"Ditto for me! Now, is there anything else we can do for you before we give you the grand tour of the place?"

"Well, if it's not too forward, could I make a request?"

Sharena opens her mouth, but before she can say anything, Chrom steps forward eagerly. "But of course, Pious Sage! Name it, and I shall see it done personally!"

Nino pauses for a second. "Actually, scratch that, two requests. The first one, you have to call me Nino."

"Oh, err…" Chrom looks baffled. "If that is what you wish, Sage… Nino."

"Nuh uh! Just Nino. Niiiiii-no!"

The consternation on his face is palpable. HIs jaw works up and down wordlessly for a second before he finally relents and lets slip an honest smile, the most genuine one she's seen on him. "Very well, 'just Nino,'" he jokes, "it's an honor to meet you."

"You too, Chrom!" she says, beaming. "And for my second request, this one's a bit trickier but… could you bring Jaffar here too?"

Sharena tilts her head quizzically. "Jaffar? Is he a friend?"

"My best friend. We've been through thick and thin together, and I trust him with my life. He's probably worried sick that I just suddenly disappeared like that." A horrifying thought suddenly occurs to her. "Oh, I hope he doesn't think Merlinus did it! The last time Jaffar glared at him, he ran out of his tent crying."

At the slightly worried look on Sharena's face, Chrom leans over and helpfully supplies, "Jaffar, legendary assassin of the Four Fangs, known as the Angel of Death."

"And my best friend!" Nino adds again, to reassure the suddenly very apprehensive look on Sharena's face. "He looks scary but he's a big softy on the inside, I swear."

Despite her reassurances, there's still an air of skepticism in Kiran's tone as he says, "Grim imagery aside, I'm afraid the summoning process isn't quite as straightforward as you think. We're quite literally praying and spraying on each summon. I mean, there are some ways we can make it a little fairer, but unless they have something of yours on their person, then were out of lu-"

"Oh, but he does have something of mine!" Nino excitedly interrupts, pointing to a spot below her neck. "I gave him my pendant! It's got a picture of me as a baby with my mom and dad and brother in it. And there's some dried blood on the cord. That last part's not mine; it's my mom's. Long story. Jaffar didn't do it."

At the part where she describes the blood on the cord, the sullen boy in the pillars suddenly starts coughing explosively. No one pays him any mind though. Instead, Sharena turns back to the summoner, who still seems skeptical, and knowingly raises an eyebrow.

"What?" She simply stares back. "Oh, you can't be serious!" Kiran throws his hands exasperatedly up in the air. "That man sounds certifiable."

"And Narcian isn't? Or Michalis? Zephiel?"

The summoner opens his mouth, finger raised, stops, and then closes it. "Point, though I'd argue the only real danger Narcian is is to himself. But our orbs…!"

"We'll scrounge by and make it work, I'm sure. And if you're really anxious about it, I'll tell the Commander myself."

There are a few more seconds of silent ruminating on the summoner's part before he finally lets out a long-suffering sigh. Reaching into the sleeves of his robe, he pulls out a small, fist-sized, gray colored orb.

"I know I'm going to regret this," he mutters, handing the orb over to Nino, who clutches it with both hands. "Okay, so how this is works. Concentrate on the pendant in your mind and your...friend. Think about what they mean to you and how they connect to- that was quick," he remarks as the orb suddenly lets out a bright flash of light and begins to glow.

"Did-did it work?"

"Only one way to find out." Taking the orb from her hands, he pulls out a strange, long barreled device from another place inside his seemingly endless robes. He snaps the device in half and clicks the orb into the barrel before snapping it back into place. "Oh and you might want to stand somewhere in front of where I'm going to shoot," he says as he does this, "I'd much rather the first thing your friend see's is a familiar face... and not me."

"Oh, sure thing! That's a good call. How bout here?"

"A little more back… Perfect." With everything complete, Kiran raises the device over his head. Nino catches a glimpse of what looks like resignation on his face before he covers his left ear and shouts, "Fire in the hole!"

What hole? Nino thinks, just before an ear-shattering _**boom!**_ erupts from the device and practically deafens her. Shafts of brilliant, colored lights erupt from the barrel, coalescing into a collage of chaos right above her head. The colors begin to spin, and a set of hazy glyphs emerge from the swirl before combining into one shining rune.

All Nino can do is gape dumbly at the incredible display before her. It's so different on the receiving end; hopefully Jaffar isn't as scared as she was.

Chrom and Sharena share an amused glance at her amazement, already accustomed to the event and unfazed. To the side, Kiran has both his fingers crossed and muttering under his breath, "please don't be Virion again, please don't be Virion, please please please."

A seam of light slices through the rune and the glyph splits outward, like a piece of paper being torn in two, before ejecting a hooded figure from its center.

To his credit, Jaffar lands much cleaner than she did. As soon as he hits the ground, he tucks into a roll and uses the momentum to land in a low, guarded stance, daggers drawn at the ready. His eyes dart left and right, analyzing the situation before him, and his lips pull down in a fearsome frown. It's only when his eyes land on her that his glare morphs into surprise, then unbridled relief.

Before anyone can react, he dashes over to her, swift as an arrow and kneels down to her level. With surprising gentleness, he takes her face in his hand and softly turns her chin left and right so that he can see every angle of her. Once satisfied, he takes check of the rest of her body, arms, and legs, continuing with the same gentle urgency. Nino waits patiently, making sure to keep a reassuring smile on her face as he does so. She's the only one close enough to notice the trembling in his hands.

When he finishes, he leans back and looks her straight in the eye. "You…" he starts to say, the familiar rough whisper of his voice tickling her cheek. "You are not...hurt?"

In response, she lets her smile widen a fraction. She puts her hands on both sides of his face and leans in to touch their foreheads, letting the warm contact soothe his nerves. "I'm all right," she whispers back to him. "I'm okay."

He remains immobile for a brief second before wrapping his arms around her in a warm hug, enveloping her smaller frame. She feels the trembling in his hands slowly subside, can hear the frantic beat of his heart ease.

"When you disappeared…" he mumbles lowly, "I was… scared."

Despite the monotone delivery, Nino can understand the sincerity and the fear in his words. "Me too," she whispers back, returning the hug. "But I'm okay. We're both okay."

He moves back and sticks out his pinky finger. A pinky promise was one of the first things she taught him to better express himself, after he saw her doing one with Rebecca. "Promise?"

Nino grins brightly. "I promise," she says, linking their pinkies together.

The ghost of a smile flickers across his face before he notices the other people in the room with them. "Who are they?" he asks, putting himself between the unknown people and Nino. "Friends or foe?"

She peeks around him and grins up at him. "Neither. They're heroes!"

Jaffar remains admirably stone-faced through the introductions and explanation given by Sharena and Kiran, with the occasional comment thrown in by Chrom. He doesn't even blink at the mention of alternate worlds, merely grunts and crosses his arms, which seems to put out Sharena a bit. When they finish, all he says is, "whatever Nino wishes, I will follow through."

It's Jaffar's typical response and one Nino was anticipating. She tugs on his sleeve to get his attention, and he looks down in her direction. "I want to help. What those other heroes are going through… it sounds a lot like what we went through when mo-Sonia was in charge of the Black Fang. I can't stand by and let that happen. I won't."

Jaffar is silent for a moment. Then, quietly, so only she can hear, "if that is what you wish."

He turns to others and addresses them. "I am Jaffar. Known also as the Angel of Death. But only by those in the Black Fang- and now, you. Know that my first priority is Nino's safety above all else. Your orders will be secondary."

"He means it's nice to meet everyone!" Nino translates, and Jaffar grunts tonelessly. "But we really do work best as a team, so please keep that in mind when you send us out."

Even Chrom seems a bit unsure of the reassurance, judging by the awkward shuffling at Jaffar's frosty introduction. Sharena appears to be the only one unfazed, laughing boisterously instead. "I totally get you. Alf can be a dork sometimes, but on the battlefield, our teamwork is second to none. So, on behalf of the Kingdom of Askr, welcome to the Order of Heroes!"

She makes to sling her arm around Jaffar's shoulder, but the former Fang quickly moves away, planting himself squarely behind Nino. Instead of taking offense, Sharena just laughs again. "Aww, the shy type, aren'tcha?"

Nino nods sagely. "Very shy," she agrees. Jaffar stares wordlessly back at the two.

"Welp, we'll get you out of your shell yet, I guarantee it!" With that, she grabs Nino's hand and begins to drag her along behind. "In the meantime, let's give you guys the grand tour." Gesturing to the hall at large, she explains, "This here is the summoning altar, which is just a fancy title for the room where Kiran does his magic. We can actually summon heroes where ever we want, so long as Kiran has the Breida-ba-doink-a-doink thingy," cue glare from Kiran, "but it's always nice to have the space to make us look official and all that. Plus, the acoustics in here are amazing. A-MAAAAAAZING," she sings in falsetto. "And moving on from that, we have the Heroes Hall, which was actually a recent add-"

Before she can go forward though, a figure steps out from the shadow of the pillars. It's the sullen boy, and his sudden appearance startles Sharena, who jumps first and then tsks exasperatedly.

"Holy Tiki on high, would it kill you just to appear normally, Raigh? We've told you, again and again, only Kiran can use summoning magic. It's not something you can just learn by sulking around every summoning session."

The boy gives her a dispassionate look as if he were regarding a particularly annoying bug that talked. Instead, he ignores Sharena and plants himself directly in front of her and Jaffar, a move that's either very brave or very dangerous on his part.

Now that he's out of the shadows, Nino notices the boy's features for the first time. His hair is a bright green, kinda similar to Rebecca's if she looks carefully. Actually, that isn't right. Rebecca's is darker, the boy's is… it's… the same shade as her own.

A slow, niggling feeling begins creeping in the back of her mind, and she leans in closer. Huh. There's something about the boy that is vaguely familiar about the boy, like a name on the tip of her tongue that she just can't recall.

Especially the eyes, slanted and severe and just...glarey. Something about them is just utterly familiar and foreign to her.

"Your pendant," the boy addresses Jaffar, his voice a little higher than she expected. He's probably younger than he actually looks; the constant frown lines are probably what does it. "Let me see it."

The former assassin's only response to his utterly audacious request is to narrow his eyes. The boy mimics Jaffar's expression, yet he stands firm, refusing to balk.

The prickling in the back of Nino's head strengthens, tingling the entire length of her spine. Something about the whole situation is uncanny to her. So very strange… yet, she can't find it in herself to be anxious.

"Who… who are you, again?" she asks

The boy ignores her, eyes focused on Jaffar. "Your pendant. Now."

And for some reason, she can't say no.

"Jaffar," she begins to say and then stops to gape in astonishment as Jaffar, without any prodding, reaches into his shirt to pull out the pendant. He unclasps it from his neck and deposits it in her hand, never once taking his eyes off the strange (familiar) boy.

The fact that the boy is still standing after bossy order is surprising. The fact that Jaffar actually did it is just shocking.

She's too surprised to do anything other than present it forward to the boy. He snatches it straight from her hands before she can react and holds it straight above his head. He stares for a silent second, then two.

And then his face crumbles.

"No…no, no, no, no!" his mutterings increase with intensity until he's practically shouting. "Impossible! They can't possibly be- urhk!" his mutterings quickly cut off when Jaffar grabs the boy and lifts him bodily up by the shoulders, eliciting surprised shouts from the group.

"Jaffar, no!" To his credit, he's showing remarkable restraint by not lifting the boy up by his neck as he would've done before. Still, it wouldn't be good for either of their consciences if Jaffar hurt him. She tugs urgently at his arm, willing him to let go. "It's fine, Jaffar. Don't hurt him!"

Instantly, the assassin lets go of his hold, and the boy goes tumbling to the ground, spluttering indignantly. Nino rushes over to him and pats him on the back.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Jaffar didn't mean it; you just startled him. He doesn't take sudden movements too well. Jaffar, say you're sorry!"

The boy growls and slaps her hand away. "Don't touch me, you fool. I don't want your blasted attack dog's pity."

Jaffar stiffens, and the temperature in the room turns several degrees colder.

"Whoa, Raigh!" Sharena steps forward, the earlier cheer replaced with stern anger. "Crossing the line! I know we give you a lot of slack because of your age, but you need to apologize, right now before I give you a whooping!"

Chrom nods, looking just as upset if not more. "Do you have any idea just who you are addressing so rudely?"

The boy snorts derisively. "Of course I know who they are, you idiots. That's why I asked to see the pendant, for confirmation."

Which makes no sense to Nino. Confirmation for what? It's not like the strange boy has seen it… before.

Before.

"I'm sorry, but…" Nino suddenly blurts out, the prickling turning into a full out itch that needs to be scratched, "but… who are you? Have we met before? I feel like…. like I know you from somewhere."

"You're joking." The boy rolls his eyes and sneers. And for a brief second, she swears she can see a flash of hurt in his eyes, before being replaced with disdain. Disdain and something else.

"Of course you'd be clueless. I don't know why I expected differently," he bites out, before adding viciously,

"I can't believe we're related."

The only indication of Jaffar's surprise is the sudden spasm in his hands. Nino however, gasps.

"I knew it! I knew you looked familiar!" She tries to take the boy's hands in hers, but he wriggles out of her grasp, looking utterly disgusted and offended at the contact.

But Nino doesn't care. Right before her is family. Her actual, blood family. A family that she lost forever and the joy at seeing someone still alive nearly brings her to tears.

"I-I'm sorry. You don't like to be touched; I'll remember that. B-but!" she lets out a shaky, giddy laugh. "I-I can't b-believe it. We're family. Family. I always wanted- I-I-..."

"Family." The word drips like acid from the boy's mouth. "Yes. That's what we are."

"Your name is Raigh, right? I'm so happy to meet you, Raigh! I'm Nino- oh, but you probably already heard that. Sorry." She's babbling. She can't help it. "How are we related? Long lost cousins maybe?"

The boy's expression becomes even more disgusted if possible. "You can't be serious."

"Super serious! Oh! Are you- are you another one of my brothers? Maybe a younger one?" A younger brother. The possibility alone staggers her.

"No. No, I'm not-"

"I mean, y-you look," a few tears slip from her eyes. "Y-you look s-so much like Kai."

"I told you, I'm not-!"

"It's o-okay. Even if you aren't, I-I'm j-just glad that we—"

"I'm- don't—"

"—that we can be a family aga—"

 _ **"SHUT UP!"**_

Nino jumps, startled out of her rambling. The boy violently wrenches away from her, hands over his ears, his expression, utter agony.

"Just… just. ."

It's a desperate plea, filled with so, so much pain.

"We don't get to be family," he bites out and his voice vibrates with rage. "Not after you left us."

"You left us. Abandoned us. Threw us away like rotten refuse."

He whips around, taking a step forward. Nino takes a step back; Jaffar remains rooted to the spot. His low voice quickly picks up heat until he is screaming. "Left us like pieces of trash in the gutter. Why? Was it because we weren't good enough for you? Were we useless to you? Is that it? Is that why you ABANDONED US?!"

" _ **Is that why it hurts every time I look at this picture?!"**_

And then he suddenly straightens up and she can finally recognize what was lying beneath the hurt in his eyes.

Oh. Nino's heart stops. No wonder he looks so familiar.

 _He has Jaffar's eyes._

The boy reaches into his shirt and pulls out a pendant. A simple looking pendant with an age-old blood spatter on the cord, one that Nino is achingly familiar with.

The same pendant that is right now clenched tight in her hand.

Sharena looks to the pendant and then at the boy. Slowly, a look of amazement dawns on her face. "No way…"

"Time and space…" the summoner mutters, his tone stunned. "Just because it will happen…"

"Doesn't mean it has happened…" finishes Chrom, sounding just as shocked.

"Not yet at least," says the boy. He turns back to Nino. His eyes are red and filled to the brim with unshed tears. The sight alone shatters her own heart.

"It's nice to finally meet you… Mother."


End file.
